Toe protector for hose



Aug. 31, 1954 TOE PROTECTOR FOR HOSE Filed Feb. 10, 1951 INVENTOR. WEVL T ERJ'. Pq U1.

w. J. PAUL 2,687,528

Patented Aug. 31, 1954 TAT TENT OFFICE Walter J. Paul, Vista, Oalifi,

a corporation of California Paul Inc.,

assignor to Richard Application February 10, 1951, Serial No. 210,373

1 Claim.

It is a fact that the hose worn by both men and women eventually wear out at their toe portions. This is frequently due to the fact that the toe-nails are not kept properly trimmed; the pressure of the tips of the unduly long nails f1- nally cuts through the material of the hose at that point.

A principal object of the present invention is to provide a protective covering for the toes of ones foot, to be worn within womens hose and mens socks, that will prevent the tips of their nails from coming into direct contact with the material of the hose, thereby substantially reducing the wear and tear on such hose, and lengthening their period of usefulness.

Toe protectors of this kind have been used heretofore, but it is found that in walking, the action and reaction of the toe protector and the shoe had a tendency to work'the protector forwardly, so that its material would bunch up toward the tip of the toe, thereby causing discomfort to its wearer. Accordingly, another object of the invention is to give the toe protector a form that prevents its rear portion from creeping forward when its wearer is walking.

Further objects of the invention will be evident from a study of the drawing and the following specification.

The invention consists in the novel features of the foot protection device as disclosed herein.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is described in the following specification.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of this toe protection device, and showing approximately the relation it has to ones foot when worn.

Figure 2 is a plan of a blank from which the toe protector illustrated can be most expeditiously formed.

Figure 3 is a side elevation of the toe protector as it would appear if laid flatly upon a supporting surface.

Referring now to Figures 1, 2, and 3, these figures illustrate a protection device for the toe. This device is illustrated in Figure 3 as though lying flatly upon a flat surface and is indicated by the reference number 27. It is composed of two side members, 43a and 43b, superposed upon each other and co-extensive with each other, preferably cut in one piece from the stock material and so that the side members are united integrally by a straight folded edge 28.

The side 21a of the protector is shown in Figure 1, and when the article is on the toe portion of ones foot the edge of the opening 30 at the 2 rear of the same is substantially straight, as viewed from the side, that is to say, this edge 3| will extend or lie substantially in a plane that is inclined to a vertical line. This is because the curved line or curved edge 32 of the article as illustrated in Figure 3 is of sufficient length measured from the point 33 to the point 34 to enable the article when on the foot, to extend well past the front of the metatarsal arch which would be located substantially in the vicinity of the dotted line 35 in Figure 1, When this point 34 is located beyond the metatarsal arch, it is found in practice that the action and reaction of the device to the movements of the foot in walking will not permit the rear portion of its sack form body to creep forwardly and toward the toe point 33.

The two edges 35a and 3% that form the edges of the opening 30 when this toe sack is lying flatly upon a fiat surface, present the form of a lightly ogee curve extending from the point 31 down to the point 34. The upper portion 38 of this ogee curve is slightly concave on its outer side and the lower portion 39 is slightly convexly curved on its outer side, as illustrated in Figure 2. The edge of the opening is provided with an elastic cord sewed into a hem 40.

The blank 4| (see Fig. 2) that I prefer to employ in forming this toe protector has substantially the shape shown in Figure 2.

The two lower edges 42a of the blank as viewed in Figure 2 are only slightly concave toward their inner ends adjacent their point of intersection 45 on the axis 44, but are slightly convexly curved toward their outer portions as shown at 46, beyond which point they terminate respectively, in substantially straight extensions 47 that intersect the outer side edges 42 at the two points 48, at which points they form angles 49, respectively, approximating right angles.

The angle at the point 45 formed by the substantially straight extensions 42a is an obtuse angle 50. A blank 0f the form shown in Figure 2 enables the toe protector illustrated in Figure 3 to be readily formed from it. 1

These articles are preferably made from knit material, and in cutting out the blank for the toe it is preferably to have the general direction of the knitted threads parallel to the axis 44.

Obviously the blank for the toe protector could be made of two separate blanks sewed together along the line 44, that is, on a line corresponding to the line 44.

As will appear from Figures 1 and 3 of the drawing, when this toe protector is applied to the wearers foot the edge 28 is so much shorter than the length of the material between the point 33, and the point 34 under the toe portion of the foot, that the angle formed between the plane in which the edge 3| lies, and the vertical line 35 extending up from the front of the metatarsal arch is approximately 30 degrees. As the point 34 is located at the front portion of the downward bulge ofv the "metatarsal arch, the-tension in the material at theedge 3| will-prevent thematerial located at the point 34, and its vicinity, from moving forward, because such movement would increase the tension in the-edge 3!. Another reason tending to prevent this, is the fact that the width of a normal foot at the location of the front metatarsal arch is greater than the width of the foot immediately tothe'rear of that arch.

Furthermore, with the point 34 remaining in a substantially fixed general location, back of the 2 front metatarsal bulge, it willbe evident that the .upper end portion :of.;the edge 31 will not move it forwardly :.on the 1 wearers ,movement at that point would also be resisted,

foot' because such for itwouldgincreasetthe tension inthe edge 3i. :Many otherembodimentsxof the invention may .be resorted .to without departing from thespirit of the invention.

I claim; aszmy inventionand desire to secure by Letters Patent:

A toe protectiondevice comprising a sack-form body of flimsy material,- said body having two :side members of --substantially equal size and 'form axialline, each'of "ball of the foot members being of only sufficient length to en- 'wardly and forwardly in a each of said seam edges including a convex edge constituting an extension of said convex bulge, each of said side members also having a rear edge extending laterally at an obtuse angle with said axial line from a second common point, said rear edges being slightly concave adjacent said axial line and joining with said convex edges at approximately right angles, said rear edges being said convex edges, a sole body adjacent said right angles constituting a contacting portion, said side velope a wearers foot from the tips of his toes and extend 'rearwar'dly so that said ball contacting portionis disposed underneath the ball of the wearers foot; said rear edges having an elastic cord therein and adapted to extend upplane inclined approximately degrees" from the horizontal from a point-just rearward of 'theh'all oithe foot to a point'just forward of the-instep arch= when applied to the wearers foot.

7 References Cited in'the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number q Name Date r 1,417,347 :Rains May 23, 1922 1,912,539 Paul June 6, 1933 2,314,359 Masterson Man 23, 1943 2,391,165 -Kasket Dec. 18, 1945 Y FOREIGN PATENTS Number .Country Date 584,727 Germany Sept. 23,-1933 206,847 'ISwitzerlaiid Nov. 16,' 1939 

